Beacons for localization and content delivery to wearable devices

ABSTRACT

Example systems, devices, media, and methods are described for presenting a virtual experience using the display of an eyewear device in augmented reality. A content delivery application implements and controls the detecting of beacons broadcast from beacon transmitters deployed at fixed locations and determining the current eyewear location based on the detected beacons. The method includes retrieving content and presenting a virtual experience based on the retrieved content, the beacon data, and a user profile. The virtual experience includes playing audio messages, presenting text on the display, playing video segments on the display, and combinations thereof. In addition to wireless detection of beacons, the method includes scanning and decoding a beacon activation code positioned near the beacon transmitter to access a beacon.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 63/190,663 filed on May 19, 2021, the contents of which areincorporated fully herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Examples set forth in the present disclosure relate to the field ofaugmented reality experiences for electronic devices, including wearabledevices such as eyewear. More particularly, but not by way oflimitation, the present disclosure describes the use of beacons tolocalize wearable devices, to deliver relevant content, and to presentvirtual experiences in augmented reality.

BACKGROUND

Many types of computers and electronic devices available today, such asmobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, and laptops), handhelddevices, and wearable devices (e.g., smart glasses, digital eyewear,headwear, headgear, and head-mounted displays), include a variety ofcameras, sensors, wireless transceivers, input systems, and displays.

Beacon transmitters are wireless transmitters that periodicallybroadcast a beacon that includes a unique identifier and one or morepackets of data. Bluetooth or BLE beacons typically operate using theBluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communications protocol. In someapplications, two or more beacons are coupled or attached to objects orfixed locations in a physical environment. Based on the characteristicsof the received beacons, a receiving device (e.g., a mobile device,wearable device, or other smart device) can compute its approximatelocation relative to the beacon locations. BLE beacons typicallytransmit information at a frequency of about 2.4 GHz, have a range ofabout three hundred feet, and operate on relatively low power (e.g., aslow as ten milliwatts). Using the BLE protocol, data can be transmittedat a rate of up to two megabits per second (Mbit/s) with an applicationthroughput of up to 1.37 Mbit/s. In some implementations, BLE messagesare secured using encryption.

Optical codes, such as barcodes, QR codes, and MaxiCodes, aretwo-dimensional graphical images that contain encoded informationreadable by a camera or other optical sensor, such as those found inmobile devices, wearable devices, and other smart devices. Optical codestypically include one or more functional patterns (e.g., foridentification, reading, and decoding the embedded information) alongwith non-functional elements or patterns (e.g., a logo, brand,trademark, trade dress, or other source identifier) to facilitaterecognition by users.

Virtual reality (VR) technology generates a complete virtual environmentincluding realistic images, sometimes presented on a VR headset or otherhead-mounted display. VR experiences allow a user to move through thevirtual environment and interact with virtual objects. Augmented reality(AR) is a type of VR technology that combines real objects in a physicalenvironment with virtual objects and displays the combination to a user.The combined display gives the impression that the virtual objects areauthentically present in the environment, especially when the virtualobjects appear and behave like the real objects. Cross reality (XR) isgenerally understood as an umbrella term referring to systems thatinclude or combine elements from AR, VR, and MR (mixed reality)environments.

Graphical user interfaces allow the user to interact with displayedcontent, including virtual objects and graphical elements such as icons,taskbars, list boxes, menus, buttons, and selection control elementslike cursors, pointers, handles, and sliders.

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is a field of computer science,artificial intelligence, and linguistics which involves receiving spokenwords and converting the spoken words into audio data suitable forprocessing by a computing device. Processed frames of audio data can beused to translate the received spoken words into text or to convert thespoken words into commands for controlling and interacting with varioussoftware applications. ASR processing may be used by computers, handhelddevices, wearable devices, telephone systems, automobiles, and a widevariety of other devices to facilitate human-computer interactions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the various examples described will be readily understoodfrom the following detailed description, in which reference is made tothe figures. A reference numeral is used with each element in thedescription and throughout the several views of the drawing. When aplurality of similar elements is present, a single reference numeral maybe assigned to like elements, with an added lower-case letter referringto a specific element.

The various elements shown in the figures are not drawn to scale unlessotherwise indicated. The dimensions of the various elements may beenlarged or reduced in the interest of clarity. The several figuresdepict one or more implementations and are presented by way of exampleonly and should not be construed as limiting. Included in the drawingare the following figures:

FIG. 1A is a side view (right) of an example hardware configuration ofan eyewear device suitable for use in an example content deliverysystem;

FIG. 1B is a perspective, partly sectional view of a right corner of theeyewear device of FIG. 1A depicting a right visible-light camera, and acircuit board;

FIG. 1C is a side view (left) of an example hardware configuration ofthe eyewear device of FIG. 1A, which shows a left visible-light camera;

FIG. 1D is a perspective, partly sectional view of a left corner of theeyewear device of FIG. 1C depicting the left visible-light camera, and acircuit board;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are rear views of example hardware configurations of aneyewear device utilized in an example content delivery system;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic depiction of a three-dimensional scene, a leftraw image captured by a left visible-light camera, and a right raw imagecaptured by a right visible-light camera;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an example content deliverysystem including an eyewear device and a server system connected viavarious networks;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of an example hardwareconfiguration for a mobile device suitable for use with the examplecontent delivery system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a user in an example environmentfor use in describing simultaneous localization and mapping;

FIG. 7 is a perspective illustration of an example arrangement of beacontransmitters along with a virtual experience presented on a display; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart listing the steps in an example method ofpresenting a virtual experience on a display.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various implementations and details are described with reference toexamples for presenting a virtual experience in augmented reality. Forexample, a number of beacon transmitters are programmed and deployed ina physical environment, such as an indoor space. The broadcast beaconsare detected by an eyewear device, which uses the beacons to determinethe current eyewear location and to retrieve relevant content. Theretrieved content is used to present a virtual experience on the displayof the eyewear as an overlay relative to the physical environment.

Example methods include detecting a beacon broadcast by a beacontransmitter that is associated with a fixed beacon location in aphysical environment. The beacon includes a unique identifier, beacondata, and a device certificate. The process in some examples includesdetermining whether the detected beacon satisfies a device certificaterule, and then determining the current eyewear location relative to thefixed beacon location (e.g., using one or more multilaterationalgorithms). The method includes retrieving content in accordance withthe detected beacon. The retrieved content, in some examples, is used tocurate a virtual experience that is also based on the beacon data and auser profile. The method includes presenting the curated virtualexperience on the display in accordance with the determined currenteyewear location and as an overlay relative to the physical environment.The process of presenting the curated virtual experience includesplaying an audio message through the loudspeaker, presenting text on thedisplay, presenting a video segment on the display, and combinationsthereof.

Although the various systems and methods are described herein withreference to curating and presenting a virtual experience in response toBLE beacons detected in an indoor environment, the technology describedmay be applied to detecting any type of beacon or signal, retrievinginformation or taking other action in response to the signal, andpresenting relevant content to a user.

The following detailed description includes systems, methods,techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine programproducts illustrative of examples set forth in the disclosure. Numerousdetails and examples are included for the purpose of providing athorough understanding of the disclosed subject matter and its relevantteachings. Those skilled in the relevant art, however, may understandhow to apply the relevant teachings without such details. Aspects of thedisclosed subject matter are not limited to the specific devices,systems, and method described because the relevant teachings can beapplied or practice in a variety of ways. The terminology andnomenclature used herein is for the purpose of describing particularaspects only and is not intended to be limiting. In general, well-knowninstruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques are notnecessarily shown in detail.

The terms “coupled” or “connected” as used herein refer to any logical,optical, physical, or electrical connection, including a link or thelike by which the electrical or magnetic signals produced or supplied byone system element are imparted to another coupled or connected systemelement. Unless described otherwise, coupled or connected elements ordevices are not necessarily directly connected to one another and may beseparated by intermediate components, elements, or communication media,one or more of which may modify, manipulate, or carry the electricalsignals. The term “on” means directly supported by an element orindirectly supported by the element through another element that isintegrated into or supported by the element.

The term “proximal” is used to describe an item or part of an item thatis situated near, adjacent, or next to an object or person; or that iscloser relative to other parts of the item, which may be described as“distal.” For example, the end of an item nearest an object may bereferred to as the proximal end, whereas the generally opposing end maybe referred to as the distal end.

The orientations of the eyewear device, other mobile devices, coupledcomponents, and any other devices such as those shown in any of thedrawings, are given by way of example only, for illustration anddiscussion purposes. In operation, the eyewear device may be oriented inany other direction suitable to the particular application of theeyewear device; for example, up, down, sideways, or any otherorientation. Also, to the extent used herein, any directional term, suchas front, rear, inward, outward, toward, left, right, lateral,longitudinal, up, down, upper, lower, top, bottom, side, horizontal,vertical, and diagonal are used by way of example only, and are notlimiting as to the direction or orientation of any camera, inertialmeasurement unit, or display as constructed or as otherwise describedherein.

Advanced AR technologies, such as computer vision and object tracking,may be used to produce a perceptually enriched and immersive experience.Computer vision algorithms extract three-dimensional data about thephysical world from the data captured in digital images or video. Objectrecognition and tracking algorithms are used to detect an object in adigital image or video, estimate its orientation or pose, and track itsmovement over time. Hand and finger recognition and tracking in realtime is one of the most challenging and processing-intensive tasks inthe field of computer vision.

The term “pose” refers to the static position and orientation of anobject at a particular instant in time. The term “gesture” refers to theactive movement of an object, such as a hand, through a series of poses,sometimes to convey a signal or idea. The terms, pose and gesture, aresometimes used interchangeably in the field of computer vision andaugmented reality. As used herein, the terms “pose” or “gesture” (orvariations thereof) are intended to be inclusive of both poses andgestures; in other words, the use of one term does not exclude theother.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples willbe set forth in part in the following description, and in part willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of thefollowing and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by productionor operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the presentsubject matter may be realized and attained by means of themethodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

Reference now is made in detail to the examples illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and discussed below.

FIG. 1A is a side view (right) of an example hardware configuration ofan eyewear device 100 which includes a touch-sensitive input device suchas a touchpad 181. As shown, the touchpad 181 may have a boundary thatis plainly visible or include a raised or otherwise tactile edge thatprovides feedback to the user about the location and boundary of thetouchpad 181; alternatively, the boundary may be subtle and not easilyseen or felt. In other implementations, the eyewear device 100 mayinclude a touchpad 181 on the left side that operates independently orin conjunction with a touchpad 181 on the right side.

The surface of the touchpad 181 is configured to detect finger touches,taps, and gestures (e.g., moving touches) for use with a GUI displayedby the eyewear device, on an image display, to allow the user tonavigate through and select menu options in an intuitive manner, whichenhances and simplifies the user experience.

Detection of finger inputs on the touchpad 181 can enable severalfunctions. For example, touching anywhere on the touchpad 181 may causethe GUI to display or highlight an item on the image display, which maybe projected onto at least one of the optical assemblies 180A, 180B.Tapping or double tapping on the touchpad 181 may select an item oricon. Sliding or swiping a finger in a particular direction (e.g., fromfront to back, back to front, up to down, or down to) may cause theitems or icons to slide or scroll in a particular direction; forexample, to move to a next item, icon, video, image, page, or slide.Sliding the finger in another direction may slide or scroll in theopposite direction; for example, to move to a previous item, icon,video, image, page, or slide. The touchpad 181 can be virtually anywhereon the eyewear device 100.

In one example, an identified finger gesture of a single tap on thetouchpad 181, initiates selection or pressing of a graphical userinterface element in the image presented on the image display of theoptical assembly 180A, 180B. An adjustment to the image presented on theimage display of the optical assembly 180A, 180B based on the identifiedfinger gesture can be a primary action which selects or submits thegraphical user interface element on the image display of the opticalassembly 180A, 180B for further display or execution.

As shown, the eyewear device 100 includes a right visible-light camera114B. As further described herein, two cameras 114A, 114B capture imageinformation for a scene from two separate viewpoints. The two capturedimages may be used to project a three-dimensional display onto an imagedisplay for viewing with 3D glasses.

The eyewear device 100 includes a right optical assembly 180B with animage display to present images, such as depth images. As shown in FIGS.1A and 1B, the eyewear device 100 includes the right visible-lightcamera 114B. The eyewear device 100 can include multiple visible-lightcameras 114A, 114B that form a passive type of three-dimensional camera,such as stereo camera, of which the right visible-light camera 114B islocated on a right corner 110B. As shown in FIGS. 1C-D, the eyeweardevice 100 also includes a left visible-light camera 114A.

Left and right visible-light cameras 114A, 114B are sensitive to thevisible-light range wavelength. Each of the visible-light cameras 114A,114B have a different frontward facing field of view which areoverlapping to enable generation of three-dimensional depth images, forexample, right visible-light camera 114B depicts a right field of view111B. Generally, a “field of view” is the part of the scene that isvisible through the camera at a particular position and orientation inspace. The fields of view 111A and 111B have an overlapping field ofview 304 (FIG. 3). Objects or object features outside the field of view111A, 111B when the visible-light camera captures the image are notrecorded in a raw image (e.g., photograph or picture). The field of viewdescribes an angle range or extent, which the image sensor of thevisible-light camera 114A, 114B picks up electromagnetic radiation of agiven scene in a captured image of the given scene. Field of view can beexpressed as the angular size of the view cone; i.e., an angle of view.The angle of view can be measured horizontally, vertically, ordiagonally.

In an example configuration, one or both visible-light cameras 114A,114B has a field of view of 100° and a resolution of 480×480 pixels. The“angle of coverage” describes the angle range that a lens ofvisible-light cameras 114A, 114B or infrared camera 410 (see FIG. 2A)can effectively image. Typically, the camera lens produces an imagecircle that is large enough to cover the film or sensor of the cameracompletely, possibly including some vignetting (e.g., a darkening of theimage toward the edges when compared to the center). If the angle ofcoverage of the camera lens does not fill the sensor, the image circlewill be visible, typically with strong vignetting toward the edge, andthe effective angle of view will be limited to the angle of coverage.

Examples of such visible-light cameras 114A, 114B include ahigh-resolution complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) imagesensor and a digital VGA camera (video graphics array) capable ofresolutions of 480p (e.g., 640×480 pixels), 720p, 1080p, or greater.Other examples include visible-light cameras 114A, 114B that can capturehigh-definition (HD) video at a high frame rate (e.g., thirty to sixtyframes per second, or more) and store the recording at a resolution of1216 by 1216 pixels (or greater).

The eyewear device 100 may capture image sensor data from thevisible-light cameras 114A, 114B along with geolocation data, digitizedby an image processor, for storage in a memory. The visible-lightcameras 114A, 114B capture respective left and right raw images in thetwo-dimensional space domain that comprise a matrix of pixels on atwo-dimensional coordinate system that includes an X-axis for horizontalposition and a Y-axis for vertical position. Each pixel includes a colorattribute value (e.g., a red pixel light value, a green pixel lightvalue, or a blue pixel light value); and a position attribute (e.g., anX-axis coordinate and a Y-axis coordinate).

In order to capture stereo images for later display as athree-dimensional projection, the image processor 412 (shown in FIG. 4)may be coupled to the visible-light cameras 114A, 114B to receive andstore the visual image information. The image processor 412, or anotherprocessor, controls operation of the visible-light cameras 114A, 114B toact as a stereo camera simulating human binocular vision and may add atimestamp to each image. The timestamp on each pair of images allowsdisplay of the images together as part of a three-dimensionalprojection. Three-dimensional projections produce an immersive,life-like experience that is desirable in a variety of contexts,including virtual reality (VR) and video gaming.

FIG. 1B is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a right corner 110B ofthe eyewear device 100 of FIG. 1A depicting the right visible-lightcamera 114B of the camera system, and a circuit board. FIG. 1C is a sideview (left) of an example hardware configuration of an eyewear device100 of FIG. 1A, which shows a left visible-light camera 114A of thecamera system. FIG. 1D is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a leftcorner 110A of the eyewear device of FIG. 1C depicting the leftvisible-light camera 114A of the three-dimensional camera, and a circuitboard.

Construction and placement of the left visible-light camera 114A issubstantially similar to the right visible-light camera 114B, except theconnections and coupling are on the left lateral side 170A. As shown inthe example of FIG. 1B, the eyewear device 100 includes the rightvisible-light camera 114B and a circuit board 140B, which may be aflexible printed circuit board (PCB). A right hinge 126B connects theright corner 110B to a right temple 125B of the eyewear device 100. Insome examples, components of the right visible-light camera 114B, theflexible PCB 140B, or other electrical connectors or contacts may belocated on the right temple 125B or the right hinge 126B. A left hinge126A connects the left corner 110A to a left temple 125A of the eyeweardevice 100. In some examples, components of the left visible-lightcamera 114A, the flexible PCB 140A, or other electrical connectors orcontacts may be located on the left temple 125A or the left hinge 126A.

The right corner 110B includes corner body 190 and a corner cap, withthe corner cap omitted in the cross-section of FIG. 1B. Disposed insidethe right corner 110B are various interconnected circuit boards, such asPCBs or flexible PCBs, that include controller circuits for rightvisible-light camera 114B, microphone(s) 139, loudspeaker(s) 191,low-power wireless circuitry (e.g., for wireless short range networkcommunication via Bluetooth™), high-speed wireless circuitry (e.g., forwireless local area network communication via Wi-Fi).

The right visible-light camera 114B is coupled to or disposed on theflexible PCB 140B and covered by a visible-light camera cover lens,which is aimed through opening(s) formed in the frame 105. For example,the right rim 107B of the frame 105, shown in FIG. 2A, is connected tothe right corner 110B and includes the opening(s) for the visible-lightcamera cover lens. The frame 105 includes a front side configured toface outward and away from the eye of the user. The opening for thevisible-light camera cover lens is formed on and through the front oroutward-facing side of the frame 105. In the example, the rightvisible-light camera 114B has an outward-facing field of view 111B(shown in FIG. 3) with a line of sight or perspective that is correlatedwith the right eye of the user of the eyewear device 100. Thevisible-light camera cover lens can also be adhered to a front side oroutward-facing surface of the right corner 110B in which an opening isformed with an outward-facing angle of coverage, but in a differentoutwardly direction. The coupling can also be indirect via interveningcomponents.

As shown in FIG. 1B, flexible PCB 140B is disposed inside the rightcorner 110B and is coupled to one or more other components housed in theright corner 110B. Although shown as being formed on the circuit boardsof the right corner 110B, the right visible-light camera 114B can beformed on the circuit boards of the left corner 110A, the temples 125A,125B, or the frame 105.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views, from the rear, of examplehardware configurations of the eyewear device 100, including twodifferent types of image displays. The eyewear device 100 is sized andshaped in a form configured for wearing by a user; the form ofeyeglasses is shown in the example. The eyewear device 100 can takeother forms and may incorporate other types of frameworks; for example,a headgear, a headset, or a helmet.

In the eyeglasses example, eyewear device 100 includes a frame 105including a left rim 107A connected to a right rim 107B via a bridge 106adapted to be supported by a nose of the user. The left and right rims107A, 107B include respective apertures 175A, 175B, which hold arespective optical element 180A, 180B, such as a lens and a displaydevice. As used herein, the term “lens” is meant to include transparentor translucent pieces of glass or plastic having curved or flat surfacesthat cause light to converge or diverge or that cause little or noconvergence or divergence.

FIG. 2A is an example hardware configuration for the eyewear device 100in which the right corner 110B supports a microphone 139 and aloudspeaker 191. The microphone 139 includes a transducer that convertssound into a corresponding electrical audio signal. The microphone 139in this example, as shown, is positioned with an opening that facesinward toward the wearer, to facilitate reception of the sound waves,such as human speech including verbal commands and questions. Additionalor differently oriented openings may be implemented. In other exampleconfigurations, the eyewear device 100 is coupled to one or moremicrophones 139, configured to operate together or independently, andpositioned at various locations on the eyewear device 100.

The loudspeaker 191 includes an electro-acoustic transducer thatconverts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. Theloudspeaker 191 is controlled by one of the processors 422, 432 or by anaudio processor 413 (FIG. 4). The loudspeaker 191 in this exampleincludes a series of oblong apertures, as shown, that face inward todirect the sound toward the wearer. Additional or differently orientedapertures may be implemented. In other example configurations, theeyewear device 100 is coupled to one or more loudspeakers 191,configured to operate together (e.g., in stereo, in zones to generatesurround sound) or independently, and positioned at various locations onthe eyewear device 100. For example, one or more loudspeakers 191 may beincorporated into the frame 105, temples 125, or corners 110A, 110B ofthe eyewear device 100.

Although shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B as having two optical elements180A, 180B, the eyewear device 100 can include other arrangements, suchas a single optical element (or it may not include any optical element180A, 180B), depending on the application or the intended user of theeyewear device 100. As further shown, eyewear device 100 includes a leftcorner 110A adjacent the left lateral side 170A of the frame 105 and aright corner 110B adjacent the right lateral side 170B of the frame 105.The corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into the frame 105 on therespective sides 170A, 170B (as illustrated) or implemented as separatecomponents attached to the frame 105 on the respective sides 170A, 170B.Alternatively, the corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into temples(not shown) attached to the frame 105.

In one example, the image display of optical assembly 180A, 180Bincludes an integrated image display. As shown in FIG. 2A, each opticalassembly 180A, 180B includes a suitable display matrix 177, such as aliquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED)display, or any other such display. Each optical assembly 180A, 180Balso includes an optical layer or layers 176, which can include lenses,optical coatings, prisms, mirrors, waveguides, optical strips, and otheroptical components in any combination. The optical layers 176A, 176B, .. . 176N (shown as 176A-N in FIG. 2A and herein) can include a prismhaving a suitable size and configuration and including a first surfacefor receiving light from a display matrix and a second surface foremitting light to the eye of the user. The prism of the optical layers176A-N extends over all or at least a portion of the respectiveapertures 175A, 175B formed in the left and right rims 107A, 107B topermit the user to see the second surface of the prism when the eye ofthe user is viewing through the corresponding left and right rims 107A,107B. The first surface of the prism of the optical layers 176A-N facesupwardly from the frame 105 and the display matrix 177 overlies theprism so that photons and light emitted by the display matrix 177impinge the first surface. The prism is sized and shaped so that thelight is refracted within the prism and is directed toward the eye ofthe user by the second surface of the prism of the optical layers176A-N. In this regard, the second surface of the prism of the opticallayers 176A-N can be convex to direct the light toward the center of theeye. The prism can optionally be sized and shaped to magnify the imageprojected by the display matrix 177, and the light travels through theprism so that the image viewed from the second surface is larger in oneor more dimensions than the image emitted from the display matrix 177.

In one example, the optical layers 176A-N may include an LCD layer thatis transparent (keeping the lens open) unless and until a voltage isapplied which makes the layer opaque (closing or blocking the lens). Theimage processor 412 on the eyewear device 100 may execute programming toapply the voltage to the LCD layer in order to produce an active shuttersystem, making the eyewear device 100 suitable for viewing visualcontent when displayed as a three-dimensional projection. Technologiesother than LCD may be used for the active shutter mode, including othertypes of reactive layers that are responsive to a voltage or anothertype of input.

In another example, the image display device of optical assembly 180A,180B includes a projection image display as shown in FIG. 2B. Eachoptical assembly 180A, 180B includes a laser projector 150, which is athree-color laser projector using a scanning mirror or galvanometer.During operation, an optical source such as a laser projector 150 isdisposed in or on one of the temples 125A, 125B of the eyewear device100. Optical assembly 180B in this example includes one or more opticalstrips 155A, 155B, . . . 155N (shown as 155A-N in FIG. 2B) which arespaced apart and across the width of the lens of each optical assembly180A, 180B or across a depth of the lens between the front surface andthe rear surface of the lens.

As the photons projected by the laser projector 150 travel across thelens of each optical assembly 180A, 180B, the photons encounter theoptical strips 155A-N. When a particular photon encounters a particularoptical strip, the photon is either redirected toward the user's eye, orit passes to the next optical strip. A combination of modulation oflaser projector 150, and modulation of optical strips, may controlspecific photons or beams of light. In an example, a processor controlsoptical strips 155A-N by initiating mechanical, acoustic, orelectromagnetic signals. Although shown as having two optical assemblies180A, 180B, the eyewear device 100 can include other arrangements, suchas a single or three optical assemblies, or each optical assembly 180A,180B may have arranged different arrangement depending on theapplication or intended user of the eyewear device 100.

As further shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, eyewear device 100 includes a leftcorner 110A adjacent the left lateral side 170A of the frame 105 and aright corner 110B adjacent the right lateral side 170B of the frame 105.The corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into the frame 105 on therespective lateral sides 170A, 170B (as illustrated) or implemented asseparate components attached to the frame 105 on the respective sides170A, 170B. Alternatively, the corners 110A, 110B may be integrated intotemples 125A, 125B attached to the frame 105.

In another example, the eyewear device 100 shown in FIG. 2B may includetwo projectors, a left projector (not shown) and a right projector 150.The left optical assembly 180A may include a left display matrix 177 ora left set of optical strips (not shown), which are configured tointeract with light from the left projector. Similarly, the rightoptical assembly 180B may include a right display matrix (not shown) ora right set of optical strips 155A, 155B, . . . 155N, which areconfigured to interact with light from the right projector 150. In thisexample, the eyewear device 100 includes a left display and a rightdisplay.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic depiction of a three-dimensional scene 306, aleft raw image 302A captured by a left visible-light camera 114A, and aright raw image 302B captured by a right visible-light camera 114B. Theleft field of view 111A may overlap, as shown, with the right field ofview 111B. The overlapping field of view 304 represents that portion ofthe image captured by both cameras 114A, 114B. The term ‘overlapping’when referring to field of view means the matrix of pixels in thegenerated raw images overlap by thirty percent (30%) or more.‘Substantially overlapping’ means the matrix of pixels in the generatedraw images—or in the infrared image of scene—overlap by fifty percent(50%) or more. As described herein, the two raw images 302A, 302B may beprocessed to include a timestamp, which allows the images to bedisplayed together as part of a three-dimensional projection.

For the capture of stereo images, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a pair ofraw red, green, and blue (RGB) images are captured of a real scene 306at a given moment in time—a left raw image 302A captured by the leftcamera 114A and right raw image 302B captured by the right camera 114B.When the pair of raw images 302A, 302B are processed (e.g., by the imageprocessor 412), depth images are generated. The generated depth imagesmay be viewed on an optical assembly 180A, 180B of an eyewear device, onanother display (e.g., the image display 580 on a mobile device 401), oron a screen.

The generated depth images are in the three-dimensional space domain andcan comprise a matrix of vertices on a three-dimensional locationcoordinate system that includes an X axis for horizontal position (e.g.,length), a Y axis for vertical position (e.g., height), and a Z axis fordepth (e.g., distance). Each vertex may include a color attribute (e.g.,a red pixel light value, a green pixel light value, or a blue pixellight value); a position attribute (e.g., an X location coordinate, a Ylocation coordinate, and a Z location coordinate); a texture attribute;a reflectance attribute; or a combination thereof. The texture attributequantifies the perceived texture of the depth image, such as the spatialarrangement of color or intensities in a region of vertices of the depthimage.

In one example, the content delivery system 400 (FIG. 4) includes theeyewear device 100, which includes a frame 105 and a left temple 125Aextending from a left lateral side 170A of the frame 105 and a righttemple 125B extending from a right lateral side 170B of the frame 105.The eyewear device 100 may further include at least two visible-lightcameras 114A, 114B having overlapping fields of view. In one example,the eyewear device 100 includes a left visible-light camera 114A with aleft field of view 111A, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The left camera 114Ais connected to the frame 105 or the left temple 125A to capture a leftraw image 302A from the left side of scene 306. The eyewear device 100further includes a right visible-light camera 114B with a right field ofview 111B. The right camera 114B is connected to the frame 105 or theright temple 125B to capture a right raw image 302B from the right sideof scene 306.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an example content deliverysystem 400 that includes an eyewear device 100), a mobile device 401,and a server system 498 connected via various networks 495 such as theInternet. As shown, the content delivery system 400 includes a low-powerwireless connection 425 and a high-speed wireless connection 437 betweenthe eyewear device 100 and the mobile device 401.

The example content delivery system 400, as shown in FIG. 4, includesone or more beacon transmitters 620 in wireless communication with theeyewear device 100 which, in turn, is in wireless communication with oneor more mobile devices 401. In some implementations, these devices 620,100, 401 operate as nodes in a network. Network data may be storedlocally or remotely, on the servers or securely in the cloud.

The beacon transmitters 620 in some implementations are installed at anindoor location, such as a retail store, a restaurant, an art gallery,and the like, and at other locations where the location owner oroperator desires to broadcast content, offers, features, and otherinformation to users in the vicinity. The beacon transmitters 620broadcast a beacon 630, as shown, which in some implementation is aBluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon.

As used herein, the term beacon 630 refers to and includes a signalbroadcast according to any of a variety of wireless communicationsprotocols, such as Bluetooth®, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE),Ultra-wideband (UWB), Wi-Fi (802.11), Near-Field Communication (NFC),Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), ZigBee, DigiMesh, VideoLAN Client(VLC), DECT (Digital European Cordless Telecommunications), and thelike.

The beacon transmitters 620 in some implementations includes amicrocontroller, a memory, a transmitter, an antenna, and a power source(e.g., a replaceable or rechargeable battery). Some beacon transmitters620 include or are coupled to one or more supplemental elements andsensors (e.g., current time, current date, motion detectors, lightsensors, temperature sensors, accelerometers).

The beacon 630 in some implementations includes a unique identifier 631,beacon data 623, and a device certificate 633. The beacon data 623 insome implementations includes a preamble, a payload, one or more packetsof data, metadata, content (e.g., text, audio files, video segments),current sensor data captured by the supplemental elements or sensorscoupled to the beacon transmitter 620, and the like. The physical layerof each beacon 630 may be assembled according to applicable standards,such as the BLE standards and BLE core specifications. The beacon 630 isbroadcast repeatedly and periodically (e.g., ten times per second). Thebeacon 630 is a short burst of electromagnetic energy having a durationsufficient for a receiving device (e.g., an eyewear device 100) toextract the information contained in the beacon 630.

The device certificate 633 in some implementations includes a sourceidentifier indicating the identity of the owner or operator thatinstalled, deployed, configured, and programmed the beacons 630 and thebeacon transmitters 620. In this aspect, beacon transmitters 620 areprogrammable and customizable, so that a developer or owner can designthe format and contents to be included in the beacon 630, including thedevice certificate 633.

As shown in FIG. 4, the eyewear device 100 includes one or morevisible-light cameras 114A, 114B that capture still images, videoimages, or both still and video images, as described herein. The cameras114A, 114B may have a direct memory access (DMA) to high-speed circuitry430 and function as a stereo camera. The cameras 114A, 114B may be usedto capture initial-depth images that may be rendered intothree-dimensional (3D) models that are texture-mapped images of a red,green, and blue (RGB) imaged scene. The device 100 may also include adepth sensor that uses infrared signals to estimate the position ofobjects relative to the device 100. The depth sensor in some examplesincludes one or more infrared emitter(s) and infrared camera(s) 410.

The eyewear device 100 further includes two image displays of eachoptical assembly 180A, 180B (one associated with the left side 170A andone associated with the right side 170B). The eyewear device 100 alsoincludes an image display driver 442, an image processor 412, low-powercircuitry 420, and high-speed circuitry 430. The image displays of eachoptical assembly 180A, 180B are for presenting images, including stillimages, video images, or still and video images. The image displaydriver 442 is coupled to the image displays of each optical assembly180A, 180B in order to control the display of images.

The components shown in FIG. 4 for the eyewear device 100 are located onone or more circuit boards, for example a printed circuit board (PCB) orflexible printed circuit (FPC), located in the rims or temples.Alternatively, or additionally, the depicted components can be locatedin the corners, frames, hinges, or bridge of the eyewear device 100.Left and right visible-light cameras 114A, 114B can include digitalcamera elements such as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)image sensor, a charge-coupled device, a lens, or any other respectivevisible or light capturing elements that may be used to capture data,including still images or video of scenes with unknown objects.

As shown in FIG. 4, high-speed circuitry 430 includes a high-speedprocessor 432, a memory 434, and high-speed wireless circuitry 436. Inthe example, the image display driver 442 is coupled to the high-speedcircuitry 430 and operated by the high-speed processor 432 in order todrive the left and right image displays of each optical assembly 180A,180B. High-speed processor 432 may be any processor capable of managinghigh-speed communications and operation of any general computing systemneeded for eyewear device 100. High-speed processor 432 includesprocessing resources needed for managing high-speed data transfers onhigh-speed wireless connection 437 to a wireless local area network(WLAN) using high-speed wireless circuitry 436.

In some examples, the high-speed processor 432 executes an operatingsystem such as a LINUX operating system or other such operating systemof the eyewear device 100 and the operating system is stored in memory434 for execution. In addition to any other responsibilities, thehigh-speed processor 432 executes a software architecture for theeyewear device 100 that is used to manage data transfers with high-speedwireless circuitry 436. In some examples, high-speed wireless circuitry436 is configured to implement Institute of Electrical and ElectronicEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 communication standards, also referred to hereinas Wi-Fi. In other examples, other high-speed communications standardsmay be implemented by high-speed wireless circuitry 436.

The low-power circuitry 420 includes a low-power processor 422 andlow-power wireless circuitry 424. The low-power wireless circuitry 424and the high-speed wireless circuitry 436 of the eyewear device 100 caninclude short-range transceivers (Bluetooth™ or Bluetooth Low-Energy(BLE)) and wireless wide, local, or wide-area network transceivers(e.g., cellular or Wi-Fi). Mobile device 401, including the transceiverscommunicating via the low-power wireless connection 425 and thehigh-speed wireless connection 437, may be implemented using details ofthe architecture of the eyewear device 100, as can other elements of thenetwork 495.

Memory 434 includes any storage device capable of storing various dataand applications, including, among other things, camera data generatedby the left and right visible-light cameras 114A, 114B, the infraredcamera(s) 410, the image processor 412, and images generated for displayby the image display driver 442 on the image display of each opticalassembly 180A, 180B. Although the memory 434 is shown as integrated withhigh-speed circuitry 430, the memory 434 in other examples may be anindependent, standalone element of the eyewear device 100. In certainsuch examples, electrical routing lines may provide a connection througha chip that includes the high-speed processor 432 from the imageprocessor 412 or low-power processor 422 to the memory 434. In otherexamples, the high-speed processor 432 may manage addressing of memory434 such that the low-power processor 422 will boot the high-speedprocessor 432 any time that a read or write operation involving memory434 is needed.

As shown in FIG. 4, various elements of the eyewear device 100 can becoupled to the low-power circuitry 420, high-speed circuitry 430, orboth. For example, the infrared camera 410 (including in someimplementations an infrared emitter), the user input devices 491 (e.g.,touchpad 181), the microphone(s) 139, and the inertial measurement unit(IMU) 472 may be coupled to the low-power circuitry 420, high-speedcircuitry 430, or both.

As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 530 of the mobile device 401 may be coupledto a camera system 570, a mobile display driver 582, a user input layer591, and a memory 540A.

The server system 498 may be one or more computing devices as part of aservice or network computing system, for example, that include aprocessor, a memory, and network communication interface to communicateover the network 495 with an eyewear device 100 and a mobile device 401.

The output components of the eyewear device 100 include visual elements,such as the left and right image displays associated with each lens oroptical assembly 180A, 180B as described in FIGS. 2A and 2B (e.g., adisplay such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel(PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a projector, or awaveguide). The eyewear device 100 may include a user-facing indicator(e.g., an LED, a loudspeaker 191, or a vibrating actuator), or anoutward-facing signal (e.g., an LED, a loudspeaker 191). The imagedisplays of each optical assembly 180A, 180B are driven by the imagedisplay driver 442. In some example configurations, the outputcomponents of the eyewear device 100 further include additionalindicators such as audible elements (e.g., loudspeakers 191), tactilecomponents (e.g., an actuator such as a vibratory motor to generatehaptic feedback), and other signal generators. For example, the device100 may include a user-facing set of indicators, and an outward-facingset of signals. The user-facing set of indicators are configured to beseen or otherwise sensed by the user of the device 100. For example, thedevice 100 may include an LED display positioned so the user can see it,one or more speakers 191 positioned to generate a sound the user canhear, or an actuator to provide haptic feedback the user can feel. Theoutward-facing set of signals are configured to be seen or otherwisesensed by an observer near the device 100. Similarly, the device 100 mayinclude an LED, a loudspeaker 191, or an actuator that is configured andpositioned to be sensed by an observer.

The input components of the eyewear device 100 may include alphanumericinput components (e.g., a touch screen or touchpad 181 configured toreceive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or otheralphanumeric-configured elements), pointer-based input components (e.g.,a mouse, a touchpad 181, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, orother pointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g., a buttonswitch, a touch screen or touchpad 181 that senses the location, forceor location and force of touches or touch gestures, or othertactile-configured elements), and audio input components (e.g., amicrophone 139), and the like. The mobile device 401 and the serversystem 498 may include alphanumeric, pointer-based, tactile, audio, andother input components.

In some examples, the eyewear device 100 includes a collection ofmotion-sensing components referred to as an inertial measurement unit472. The motion-sensing components may be micro-electro-mechanicalsystems (MEMS) with microscopic moving parts, often small enough to bepart of a microchip. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) 472 in someexample configurations includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and amagnetometer. The accelerometer senses the linear acceleration of thedevice 100 (including the acceleration due to gravity) relative to threeorthogonal axes (x, y, z). The gyroscope senses the angular velocity ofthe device 100 about three axes of rotation (pitch, roll, yaw).Together, the accelerometer and gyroscope can provide position,orientation, and motion data about the device relative to six axes (x,y, z, pitch, roll, yaw). The magnetometer, if present, senses theheading of the device 100 relative to magnetic north. The position ofthe device 100 may be determined by location sensors, such as a GPSunit, one or more transceivers to generate relative positioncoordinates, altitude sensors or barometers, and other orientationsensors. Such positioning system coordinates can also be received overthe wireless connections 425, 437 from the mobile device 401 via thelow-power wireless circuitry 424 or the high-speed wireless circuitry436.

The IMU 472 may include or cooperate with a digital motion processor orprogramming that gathers the raw data from the components and compute anumber of useful values about the position, orientation, and motion ofthe device 100. For example, the acceleration data gathered from theaccelerometer can be integrated to obtain the velocity relative to eachaxis (x, y, z); and integrated again to obtain the position of thedevice 100 (in linear coordinates, x, y, and z). The angular velocitydata from the gyroscope can be integrated to obtain the position of thedevice 100 (in spherical coordinates). The programming for computingthese useful values may be stored in memory 434 and executed by thehigh-speed processor 432 of the eyewear device 100.

The eyewear device 100 may optionally include additional peripheralsensors, such as biometric sensors, specialty sensors, or displayelements integrated with eyewear device 100. For example, peripheraldevice elements may include any I/O components including outputcomponents, motion components, position components, or any other suchelements described herein. For example, the biometric sensors mayinclude components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facialexpressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), tomeasure bio signals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature,perspiration, or brain waves), or to identify a person (e.g.,identification based on voice, retina, facial characteristics,fingerprints, or electrical bio signals such as electroencephalogramdata), and the like.

The mobile device 401 may be a smartphone, tablet, laptop computer,access point, or any other such device capable of connecting witheyewear device 100 using both a low-power wireless connection 425 and ahigh-speed wireless connection 437. Mobile device 401 is connected toserver system 498 and network 495. The network 495 may include anycombination of wired and wireless connections.

The content delivery system 400, as shown in FIG. 4, includes acomputing device, such as mobile device 401, coupled to an eyeweardevice 100 over a network. The content delivery system 400 includes amemory for storing instructions and a processor for executing theinstructions. Execution of the instructions of the content deliverysystem 400 by the processor 432 configures the eyewear device 100 tocooperate with the mobile device 401. The content delivery system 400may utilize the memory 434 of the eyewear device 100 or the memoryelements 540A, 540B, 540C of the mobile device 401 (FIG. 5). Also, thecontent delivery system 400 may utilize the processor elements 432, 422of the eyewear device 100 or the central processing unit (CPU) 530 ofthe mobile device 401 (FIG. 5). In addition, the content delivery system400 may further utilize the memory and processor elements of the serversystem 498. In this aspect, the memory and processing functions of thecontent delivery system 400 can be shared or distributed across theprocessors and memories of the eyewear device 100, the mobile device401, and the server system 498.

In some implementations, the memory 434 includes or is coupled to acontent delivery application 910, a localization system 915, an imageprocessing system 920, and a voice recognition module 925.

The content delivery application 910 in some implementations configuresthe processor 432 to detect one or more beacons 630 broadcast by beacontransmitters 620, retrieve content 880 associated with the detectedbeacons, and present a virtual experience 700 as described herein.

The localization system 915 in some implementations configures theprocessor 432 to determine the current location 840 of the eyeweardevice 100 relative to the physical environment 600. In outdoorenvironments, the current eyewear location 840 may be derived from datagathered by a GPS unit, an inertial measurement unit 472, a camera 114B,or a combination thereof. In indoor environments and other places whereGPS data is not available or not sufficient, the current eyewearlocation 840 in some implementations is calculated using one or morebeacons 630.

The image processing system 920 configures the processor 432 to presentone or more graphical elements on a display of an optical assembly 180A,180B in cooperation with the image display driver 442 and the imageprocessor 412.

The voice recognition module 925 configures the processor 432 toperceive human speech with a microphone 139, convert the received speechinto frames of audio data 905, identify a command or inquiry based onthe audio data 905, and execute an action (or assemble a response) inresponse to the identified command or inquiry.

As shown in FIG. 4, the example content delivery system 400 is coupledto a transmitter library 480 and a content library 482. The eyeweardevice 100, as shown, is coupled to or otherwise in communication withthe libraries 480, 482.

The transmitter library 480 stores data about each of the beacontransmitters 620, including its fixed beacon location 720 relative tothe physical environment 600, the physical object 650 it is persistentlyassociated with, and the characteristics of the beacon 630 it broadcasts(e.g., the unique identifier 631, the beacon data 632, the devicecertificate 633).

The content library 482 stores data about each of a content items (e.g.,text, audio files, video segments). The data record for each item ofcontent may include a name, a unique identifier, a category or topic,and a variety of other information that would be useful in cataloguingand retrieving the content. The content is stored and maintained foreasy access and use when the system retrieves content associated with adetected beacon 630.

The libraries 480 482 in some implementations operate as a set ofrelational databases with one or more shared keys linking the storeddata to other database entries, and a database management system formaintaining and querying each database.

FIG. 5 is a high-level functional block diagram of an example mobiledevice 401. Mobile device 401 includes a flash memory 540A which storesprogramming to be executed by the CPU 530 to perform all or a subset ofthe functions described herein.

The mobile device 401 may include a camera 570 that comprises at leasttwo visible-light cameras (first and second visible-light cameras withoverlapping fields of view) or at least one visible-light camera and adepth sensor with substantially overlapping fields of view. Flash memory540A may further include multiple images or video, which are generatedvia the camera 570.

As shown, the mobile device 401 includes an image display 580, a mobiledisplay driver 582 to control the image display 580, and a displaycontroller 584. In the example of FIG. 5, the image display 580 includesa user input layer 591 (e.g., a touchscreen) that is layered on top ofor otherwise integrated into the screen used by the image display 580.

Examples of touchscreen-type mobile devices that may be used include(but are not limited to) a smart phone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or other portable device.However, the structure and operation of the touchscreen-type devices isprovided by way of example; the subject technology as described hereinis not intended to be limited thereto. For purposes of this discussion,FIG. 5 therefore provides a block diagram illustration of the examplemobile device 401 with a user interface that includes a touchscreeninput layer 591 for receiving input (by touch, multi-touch, or gesture,and the like, by hand, stylus, or other tool) and an image display 580for displaying content

As shown in FIG. 5, the mobile device 401 includes at least one digitaltransceiver (XCVR) 510, shown as WWAN XCVRs, for digital wirelesscommunications via a wide-area wireless mobile communication network.The mobile device 401 also includes additional digital or analogtransceivers, such as short-range transceivers (XCVRs) 520 forshort-range network communication, such as via NFC, VLC, DECT, ZigBee,Bluetooth™, or Wi-Fi. For example, short range XCVRs 520 may take theform of any available two-way wireless local area network (WLAN)transceiver of a type that is compatible with one or more standardprotocols of communication implemented in wireless local area networks,such as one of the Wi-Fi standards under IEEE 802.11.

To generate location coordinates for positioning of the mobile device401, the mobile device 401 can include a global positioning system (GPS)receiver. Alternatively, or additionally the mobile device 401 canutilize either or both the short range XCVRs 520 and WWAN XCVRs 510 forgenerating location coordinates for positioning. For example, cellularnetwork, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth™ based positioning systems can generatevery accurate location coordinates, particularly when used incombination. Such location coordinates can be transmitted to the eyeweardevice over one or more network connections via XCVRs 510, 520.

The client device 401 in some examples includes a collection ofmotion-sensing components referred to as an inertial measurement unit(IMU) 572 for sensing the position, orientation, and motion of theclient device 401. The motion-sensing components may bemicro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) with microscopic moving parts,often small enough to be part of a microchip. The inertial measurementunit (IMU) 572 in some example configurations includes an accelerometer,a gyroscope, and a magnetometer. The accelerometer senses the linearacceleration of the client device 401 (including the acceleration due togravity) relative to three orthogonal axes (x, y, z). The gyroscopesenses the angular velocity of the client device 401 about three axes ofrotation (pitch, roll, yaw). Together, the accelerometer and gyroscopecan provide position, orientation, and motion data about the devicerelative to six axes (x, y, z, pitch, roll, yaw). The magnetometer, ifpresent, senses the heading of the client device 401 relative tomagnetic north.

The IMU 572 may include or cooperate with a digital motion processor orprogramming that gathers the raw data from the components and compute anumber of useful values about the position, orientation, and motion ofthe client device 401. For example, the acceleration data gathered fromthe accelerometer can be integrated to obtain the velocity relative toeach axis (x, y, z); and integrated again to obtain the position of theclient device 401 (in linear coordinates, x, y, and z). The angularvelocity data from the gyroscope can be integrated to obtain theposition of the client device 401 (in spherical coordinates). Theprogramming for computing these useful values may be stored in on ormore memory elements 540A, 540B, 540C and executed by the CPU 530 of theclient device 401.

The transceivers 510, 520 (i.e., the network communication interface)conforms to one or more of the various digital wireless communicationstandards utilized by modern mobile networks. Examples of WWANtransceivers 510 include (but are not limited to) transceiversconfigured to operate in accordance with Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networktechnologies including, for example and without limitation, 3GPP type 2(or 3GPP2) and LTE, at times referred to as “4G.” For example, thetransceivers 510, 520 provide two-way wireless communication ofinformation including digitized audio signals, still image and videosignals, web page information for display as well as web-related inputs,and various types of mobile message communications to/from the mobiledevice 401.

The mobile device 401 further includes a microprocessor that functionsas a central processing unit (CPU); shown as CPU 530 in FIG. 4. Aprocessor is a circuit having elements structured and arranged toperform one or more processing functions, typically various dataprocessing functions. Although discrete logic components could be used,the examples utilize components forming a programmable CPU. Amicroprocessor for example includes one or more integrated circuit (IC)chips incorporating the electronic elements to perform the functions ofthe CPU. The CPU 530, for example, may be based on any known oravailable microprocessor architecture, such as a Reduced Instruction SetComputing (RISC) using an ARM architecture, as commonly used today inmobile devices and other portable electronic devices. Of course, otherarrangements of processor circuitry may be used to form the CPU 530 orprocessor hardware in smartphone, laptop computer, and tablet.

The CPU 530 serves as a programmable host controller for the mobiledevice 401 by configuring the mobile device 401 to perform variousoperations, for example, in accordance with instructions or programmingexecutable by CPU 530. For example, such operations may include variousgeneral operations of the mobile device, as well as operations relatedto the programming for applications on the mobile device. Although aprocessor may be configured by use of hardwired logic, typicalprocessors in mobile devices are general processing circuits configuredby execution of programming.

The mobile device 401 includes a memory or storage system, for storingprogramming and data. In the example, the memory system may include aflash memory 540A, a random-access memory (RAM) 540B, and other memorycomponents 540C, as needed. The RAM 540B serves as short-term storagefor instructions and data being handled by the CPU 530, e.g., as aworking data processing memory. The flash memory 540A typically provideslonger-term storage.

Hence, in the example of mobile device 401, the flash memory 540A isused to store programming or instructions for execution by the CPU 530.Depending on the type of device, the mobile device 401 stores and runs amobile operating system through which specific applications areexecuted. Examples of mobile operating systems include Google Android,Apple iOS (for iPhone or iPad devices), Windows Mobile, Amazon Fire OS,RIM BlackBerry OS, or the like.

The processor 432 within the eyewear device 100 may construct a map ofthe environment surrounding the eyewear device 100, determine a locationof the eyewear device within the mapped environment, and determine arelative position of the eyewear device to one or more objects in themapped environment. The processor 432 may construct the map anddetermine location and position information using a simultaneouslocalization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm applied to data received fromone or more sensors. Sensor data includes images received from one orboth of the cameras 114A, 114B, distance(s) received from a laser rangefinder, position information received from a GPS unit, motion andacceleration data received from an IMU 572, or a combination of datafrom such sensors, or from other sensors that provide data useful indetermining positional information. In the context of augmented reality,a SLAM algorithm is used to construct and update a map of anenvironment, while simultaneously tracking and updating the location ofa device (or a user) within the mapped environment. The mathematicalsolution can be approximated using various statistical methods, such asparticle filters, Kalman filters, extended Kalman filters, andcovariance intersection. In a system that includes a high-definition(HD) video camera that captures video at a high frame rate (e.g., thirtyframes per second), the SLAM algorithm updates the map and the locationof objects at least as frequently as the frame rate; in other words,calculating and updating the mapping and localization thirty times persecond.

Sensor data includes image(s) received from one or both cameras 114A,114B, distance(s) received from a laser range finder, positioninformation received from a GPS unit, motion and acceleration datareceived from an IMU 472, or a combination of data from such sensors, orfrom other sensors that provide data useful in determining positionalinformation.

FIG. 6 depicts an example physical environment 600 along with elementsthat are useful when using a SLAM application and other types oftracking applications (e.g., natural feature tracking (NFT)). A user 602of eyewear device 100 is present in an example physical environment 600(which, in FIG. 6, is an interior room). The processor 432 of theeyewear device 100 determines its position with respect to one or moreobjects 604 within the environment 600 using captured images, constructsa map of the environment 600 using a coordinate system (x, y, z) for theenvironment 600, and determines its position within the coordinatesystem. Additionally, the processor 432 determines a head pose (roll,pitch, and yaw) of the eyewear device 100 within the environment byusing two or more location points (e.g., three location points 606 a,606 b, and 606 c) associated with a single object 604 a, or by using oneor more location points 606 associated with two or more objects 604 a,604 b, 604 c. The processor 432 of the eyewear device 100 may position avirtual object 608 (such as the key shown in FIG. 6) within theenvironment 600 for viewing during an augmented reality experience.

The localization system 915 in some examples a virtual marker 610 aassociated with a virtual object 608 in the environment 600. Inaugmented reality, markers are registered at locations in theenvironment to assist devices with the task of tracking and updating thelocation of users, devices, and objects (virtual and physical) in amapped environment. Markers are sometimes registered to a high-contrastphysical object, such as the relatively dark object, such as the framedpicture 604 a, mounted on a lighter-colored wall, to assist cameras andother sensors with the task of detecting the marker. The markers may bepreassigned or may be assigned by the eyewear device 100 upon enteringthe environment. Markers can be encoded with or otherwise linked toinformation. A marker might include position information, a physicalcode (such as a bar code or a QR code; either visible to the user orhidden), or a combination thereof. A set of data associated with themarker is stored in the memory 434 of the eyewear device 100. The set ofdata includes information about the marker 610 a, the marker's position(location and orientation), one or more virtual objects, or acombination thereof. The marker position may include three-dimensionalcoordinates for one or more marker landmarks 616 a, such as the cornerof the generally rectangular marker 610 a shown in FIG. 6. The markerlocation may be expressed relative to real-world geographic coordinates,a system of marker coordinates, a position of the eyewear device 100, orother coordinate system. The one or more virtual objects associated withthe marker 610 a may include any of a variety of material, includingstill images, video, audio, tactile feedback, executable applications,interactive user interfaces and experiences, and combinations orsequences of such material. Any type of content capable of being storedin a memory and retrieved when the marker 610 a is encountered orassociated with an assigned marker may be classified as a virtual objectin this context. The key 608 shown in FIG. 6, for example, is a virtualobject displayed as a still image, either 2D or 3D, at a markerlocation.

In one example, the marker 610 a may be registered in memory as beinglocated near and associated with a physical object 604 a (e.g., theframed work of art shown in FIG. 6). In another example, the marker maybe registered in memory as being a particular position with respect tothe eyewear device 100.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart 820 listing the steps in an example method ofpresenting a virtual experience 700 on the display 180B of an eyeweardevice 100. Although the steps are described with reference to theeyewear device 100 described herein, other implementations of the stepsdescribed, for other types of devices, will be understood by one ofskill in the art from the description herein. One or more of the stepsshown and described may be performed simultaneously, in a series, in anorder other than shown and described, or in conjunction with additionalsteps. Some steps may be omitted or, in some applications, repeated.

The content delivery application 910 described herein, in someimplementations, starts in response to receiving a selection through auser interface (e.g., selecting from a menu, pressing a button, using atouchpad) or through some other input means (e.g., hand gesture, fingermotion, voice command). In other examples, the content deliveryapplication 910 starts in response to detecting a beacon 630 asdescribed herein.

Block 822 in FIG. 8 describes an example step of detecting a beacon 630with the wireless communications circuitry 420, 430 of an eyewear device100. The beacon 630 in this example is broadcast by a beacon transmitter620 associated with a fixed beacon location 720 in a physicalenvironment 600. For example, a beacon transmitter 620 may be locatednear an object 650 (e.g., an exhibit, a work of art, an article ofmerchandise). The beacon 630 in some implementations includes a uniqueidentifier 631, beacon data 632, and a device certificate 633.

The eyewear device 100 in this example includes a camera 114B, aloudspeaker 191, a content delivery application 910, a localizationsystem 915, and a display 180B. In some implementations, the process ofdetecting beacons 630 is ongoing during active use of the eyewear device100. In other examples, the process of detecting beacons 630 starts inresponse to receiving a selection through a user interface or throughsome other input means. The example step at block 822, in someimplementations, includes storing the captured beacons 630 in memory 434on the eyewear device 100, at least temporarily, such that the capturedbeacons 630 are available for analysis.

FIG. 7 is a perspective illustration of an example arrangement of beacontransmitters 620 a, 620 b along with a virtual experience 700 presentedon a display 180B. The physical environment 600, as shown, includes afirst object 650 a, a first beacon transmitter 620 a located at a fixedbeacon location 702 a. When the beacon transmitters 620 are programmedand installed, the first beacon transmitter 620 a is associated with thefirst object 650 a. Also shown is a first beacon activation code 655 awhich is located at a fixed position relative to the fixed beaconlocation 702 a. The beacon activation code 655 a in some implementationsis an optical code that contains encoded information readable by thecamera 114B of the eyewear device 100.

Also shown in FIG. 7 is a second or subsequent object 650 b, asubsequent beacon transmitter 620 b located at a subsequent fixed beaconlocation 702 b, and a subsequent beacon activation code 655 b. Inoperation, the physical environment 600 may include a plurality ofobjects 650, each associated with its own beacon transmitter 620 andactivation code 655. For example, an object 650 may be an exhibit, awork of art, an item of merchandise, a menu, or any other item.

In some implementations, the content delivery application 910 isconfigured to detect and act upon a certain subset of beacons whichsatisfy a device certificate rule 805. For example, when an owner oroperator programs the beacon transmitters 620 for installation in aparticular physical environment 600 (e.g., a retail store, a gallery, amuseum), the beacon 630 is configured to include a device certificate633 that acts as a source identifier. The device certificate 633, forexample, may include a unique numerical or text identifier (e.g., MobileApp, Macy's, MOMA). In this example, the device certificate rule 805requires that only beacons 630 having a particular device certificate633 (e.g., Mobile App) will be detected and used. In other words, thecontent delivery application 910 is configured to detect only thosebeacons 630 which are programmed with a device certificate 633 thatincludes “Mobile App.” Other beacons with different device certificateswill be ignored.

In response to a detected beacon 630 satisfying the device certificaterule 805, block 824 in FIG. 8 describes an example step of determining,with the localization system 915 and based on the detected beacon 630, acurrent eyewear location 840 relative to the fixed beacon location 720.

In some implementations, the beacons 630 broadcast by the beacontransmitters 620 are used to calculate or otherwise determine thecurrent eyewear location 840 relative to the fixed beacon locations 720.

The signal strength of a beacon 630 varies according to distance. Thegreater the distance from the beacon transmitter 620, the lower thesignal strength. The beacon 630 in some implementations is calibrated bythe manufacturer to have a design signal strength at a known distance(e.g., one meter away from the beacon transmitter 620). In someimplementations, the receiving device (e.g., an eyewear device 100) isconfigured to detect the actual signal strength, measured at the instantwhen the beacon 630 is received. Using the design signal strength andthe actual signal strength, the receiving device can approximate thedistance between the beacon transmitter 620 and the receiving device(based on a single beacon 630).

When two or more beacons 630 are detected, the receiving device in someimplementations is configured to measure the actual received signalstrength associated with each beacon 630. For example, referring againto FIG. 7, the first beacon transmitter 620 a broadcasts a first beacon630 a which arrives at the eyewear device 100 having a first receivedsignal strength 640 a. A second or subsequent beacon transmitter 620 bbroadcasts a second beacon 630 b which arrives at the eyewear device 100having subsequent received signal strength 640 b. Using the two receivedsignal strengths 640 a, 640 b, the localization system 915 on theeyewear device 100 in some implementations uses one or morethree-dimensional multilateration algorithms (sometimes referred to astriangulation or trilateration) to compute the precise current eyewearlocation 840 relative to the two fixed beacon locations 720 a, 720 b.

In the example step at block 824 in FIG. 8 of determining a currenteyewear location 840, the localization system 915 does not use data fromthe GPS unit and does not construct a virtual map using a SLAMalgorithm, as described herein. By using the beacons 630, which arebroadcast relatively frequently (e.g., ten times per second, or more),the localization system 915 calculates and updates the current eyewearlocation 840 continually and frequently.

In some implementations, the current eyewear location 840 is shared withan application capable of generating an interactive map of the nearbyphysical environment 600. The map application in this example presentsthe current eyewear location 840 on the display 180B as an overlay(e.g., a blue dot, a marker) relative to other features of the map.

The process of localization in some implementations includes calculatinga correlation between the detected beacon transmitters 620 and thecurrent eyewear location 840. The term correlation refers to andincludes one or more vectors, matrices, formulas, or other mathematicalexpressions sufficient to define the three-dimensional distance betweenone or more of the detected beacon transmitters 620 and the eyeweardisplay 180B, in accordance with the current eyewear location 840. Thecurrent eyewear location 840, of course, is tied to or persistentlyassociated with the display 180B which is supported by the frame of theeyewear device 100. In this aspect, the correlation performs thefunction of calibrating the motion of the eyewear 100 through thephysical environment 600 with the apparent motion of the detected beacontransmitters 620 (relative to the eyewear 100). Because the localizationprocess occurs continually and frequently, the correlation is calculatedcontinually and frequently, resulting in accurate and near real-timetracking of the detected beacon transmitters 620 relative to the currenteyewear location 840.

Block 826 in FIG. 8 describes an example step of retrieving content 800associated with the detected beacon 630. The process of retrievingcontent 800 includes accessing one or more sources of information. Forexample, the content 800 may be retrieved from the data 632 contained inthe detected beacon 630 itself, from information stored in a contentlibrary 482, from local content stored on the eyewear device 100, or insome implementations from internet search results. The process in thisexample includes assembling search terms, executing a search, andharvesting content relevant to the detected beacon 630. The contentdelivery application 910, in some implementations, is configured toaccess one or more preferred search engines, websites, and otherinternet-based resources. In some implementations, the process ofretrieving content 880 using an internet search involves using amachine-learning algorithm to select the search engine, web resources,and website data most likely to retrieve relevant container informationquickly and efficiently.

In this example, the detected beacon 630 includes an activator ortrigger which causes the content delivery application 910 to retrievecontent 800 from one or more available sources.

Block 828 in FIG. 8 describes an example step of curating a virtualexperience 700 in accordance with the retrieved content 800, the beacondata 632, and a user profile 880. The process of curating in someimplementations includes simply presenting substantially all of theretrieved content 800 (e.g., text, audio files, video segments) or thebeacon data 632. The beacon data 632, as described herein, may includeone or more items of relevant content (e.g., text, audio files, videosegments) suitable for presentation. The user profile 880 in someimplementations includes one or more elements, such as a primaryinterest (e.g., art history, formal wear, vegetarian food), a playbacksetting (e.g., auto play), and one or more other preferences (e.g., playaudio first, display text with audio, video segments preferred). In thisaspect, the process of curating the virtual experience 700 includesconsideration of the elements of the user profile 880. For example, fora detected beacon 630 associated with a restaurant menu (i.e., object650), the retrieved content 800 may include a wide variety of food itemson the menu. If the user profile 800 includes “vegetarian food” as aprimary interest, the process of curating the virtual experience 700 mayinclude presenting the vegetarian food items first or exclusively.

Block 830 in FIG. 8 describes an example step of presenting the curatedvirtual experience 700 on the display 180B in accordance with thedetermined current eyewear location 840. In this aspect, one or moreelements of the curated virtual experience 700 may be sized andpositioned on the display 180B according to the current eyewear location840. As described herein, the process of presenting the curated virtualexperience 700 may include playing an audio message through theloudspeaker 191, presenting text on the display, presenting a videosegment on the display, and combinations thereof. FIG. 7 include anexample region or sector 710 of the display 180B which is suitable forpresenting text, video, or other elements of the curated virtualexperience 700. In this example, the sector 710 is located at a sectorposition 730 that is fixed relative to the display 180B (e.g., presentedalong the left side). In other implementations the size and shape of thesector 710, as well as the location of the sector position 730, iseditable, configurable, dynamic in response to the size and shape of thecontent to be presented, or combinations thereof. In someimplementations, the process includes presenting the curated virtualexperience 700 on a second eyewear device, a mobile device (e.g., asmartphone, tablet), or another designated device.

Block 832 in FIG. 8 describes an example step of identifying a primarybeacon 645 based on the relative proximity of two or more beacons 630relative to the current eyewear location 840. As described above inrelation to multilateration, the first or detected beacon 630 a arrivesat the eyewear device 100 having a first received signal strength 640 a.A second or subsequent beacon 630 b arrives at the eyewear device 100having subsequent received signal strength 640 b. The process ofidentifying a primary beacon 645 in this example includes comparing thetwo received signal strengths 640 a, 640 b and selecting the highervalue (which represents the beacon transmitter closest in proximity tothe current eyewear location 840).

Block 834 in FIG. 8 describes an example step of detecting a beacon 630which, in some implementations, includes scanning and decoding a beaconactivation code 655 instead of detecting the beacon wirelessly. Forexample, if a user desires to access a particular beacon, the camera114B can be used to scan and decode a beacon activation code 655. Asshown in FIG. 7, a first beacon activation code 655 a is associated withthe first beacon transmitter 720 a and is located at a fixed locationrelative to the fixed beacon location 702 a. The process of detectingthe first beacon 630 a in this example includes capturing frames ofvideo data 900 within a field of view 904 of the camera 114B, decoding(within the captured frames of video data 900) the first beaconactivation code 655 a, and in response detecting the first beacon 630 a.In this aspect, the process of decoding the first beacon activation code655 a provokes the selection of the first beacon 630 a.

Block 836 in FIG. 8 describes an example step of detecting a beacon bymaking a selection from a list. As shown in FIG. 7, the first beacontransmitter 620 a is associated with a first object 650 a. The second orsubsequent beacon transmitter 620 b is associated with a second object650 b. In some implementations, this process includes presenting a list865 within a sector 710 located at a sector position 730 on the display180B. The list 865 includes the first object 650 a and the subsequentobject 650 b, in order based on relative proximity to the determinedcurrent eyewear location 840 (e.g., the object 650 associated with thenearest beacon transmitter 620 is shown first). The process in thisexample includes receiving a selection 870 from the displayed list 865,and then detecting the beacon 630 in accordance with the receivedselection 870.

The process of receiving a selection 870 includes detecting a tappinggesture on a touchpad 181, processing a voice command using a voicerecognition module, executing the selection in response to a predefinedhand gesture detected within frames of video data 900 captured by thecamera 114B, and combinations thereof.

The example eyewear device 100, as shown in FIG. 7, includes a touchpad181 located on the right temple 125B. A movable element 711 (e.g., acursor, as shown in FIG. 7) is presented at a current element position740 relative to the display 180 b. Interacting with the cursor 711, insome implementations, includes detecting a current fingertip location681 relative to the touchpad 181, and then presenting the cursor 711 ata current element position 740 in accordance with the detected currentfingertip location 681. The selection process in this example includesidentifying a first item on the presented list 865 that is nearest tothe current element position 740, detecting a tapping gesture of thefinger relative to the touchpad 181, and then executing the selection870 relative to the first item in accordance with the detected tappinggesture.

In some implementations, the process of receiving a selection 870includes receiving human speech through a microphone 139 coupled to theeyewear device 100, as shown in FIG. 7, and then converting the speechinto frames of audio data 905. The voice recognition module 925 analyzesthe frames of audio data 905, using automated speech recognitionprocessing, to identify a first command 860. The process in this exampleincludes executing the selection 870 relative to the first item inaccordance with the first command 760. In some implementations, theautomated speech recognition involves using a machine-learning algorithmthat has been trained to detect, decipher, and identify the contents ofhuman speech quickly and efficiently.

Any of the functionality described herein for the eyewear device 100,the mobile device 401, and the server system 498 can be embodied in oneor more computer software applications or sets of programminginstructions, as described herein. According to some examples,“function,” “functions,” “application,” “applications,” “instruction,”“instructions,” or “programming” are program(s) that execute functionsdefined in the programs. Various programming languages can be employedto develop one or more of the applications, structured in a variety ofmanners, such as object-oriented programming languages (e.g.,Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages (e.g., Cor assembly language). In a specific example, a third-party application(e.g., an application developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ softwaredevelopment kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of theparticular platform) may include mobile software running on a mobileoperating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or anothermobile operating system. In this example, the third-party applicationcan invoke API calls provided by the operating system to facilitatefunctionality described herein.

Hence, a machine-readable medium may take many forms of tangible storagemedium. Non-volatile storage media include, for example, optical ormagnetic disks, such as any of the storage devices in any computerdevices or the like, such as may be used to implement the client device,media gateway, transcoder, etc. shown in the drawings. Volatile storagemedia include dynamic memory, such as main memory of such a computerplatform. Tangible transmission media include coaxial cables; copperwire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a bus within acomputer system. Carrier-wave transmission media may take the form ofelectric or electromagnetic signals, or acoustic or light waves such asthose generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) datacommunications. Common forms of computer-readable media thereforeinclude for example: a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetictape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD or DVD-ROM, any otheroptical medium, punch cards paper tape, any other physical storagemedium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave transporting data orinstructions, cables or links transporting such a carrier wave, or anyother medium from which a computer may read programming code or data.Many of these forms of computer readable media may be involved incarrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to aprocessor for execution.

Except as stated immediately above, nothing that has been stated orillustrated is intended or should be interpreted to cause a dedicationof any component, step, feature, object, benefit, advantage, orequivalent to the public, regardless of whether it is or is not recitedin the claims.

It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein havethe ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions withrespect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and studyexcept where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be usedsolely to distinguish one entity or action from another withoutnecessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or orderbetween such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,”“includes,” “including,” or any other variation thereof, are intended tocover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article,or apparatus that comprises or includes a list of elements or steps doesnot include only those elements or steps but may include other elementsor steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. An element preceded by “a” or “an” does not,without further constraints, preclude the existence of additionalidentical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises the element.

Unless otherwise stated, any and all measurements, values, ratings,positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are setforth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, areapproximate, not exact. Such amounts are intended to have a reasonablerange that is consistent with the functions to which they relate andwith what is customary in the art to which they pertain. For example,unless expressly stated otherwise, a parameter value or the like mayvary by as much as plus or minus ten percent from the stated amount orrange.

In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen thatvarious features are grouped together in various examples for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed examplesrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, the subject matter to be protected liesin less than all features of any single disclosed example. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subjectmatter.

While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the bestmode and other examples, it is understood that various modifications maybe made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may beimplemented in various forms and examples, and that they may be appliedin numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein.It is intended by the following claims to claim any and allmodifications and variations that fall within the true scope of thepresent concepts.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of presenting a virtual experience with an eyewear device, the eyewear device comprising a camera, a loudspeaker, a content delivery application, a localization system, and a display, the method comprising: detecting a beacon broadcast by a beacon transmitter associated with a fixed beacon location in a physical environment, the beacon comprising a unique identifier, beacon data, and a device certificate; determining whether the detected beacon satisfies a device certificate rule; in response to the detected beacon satisfying the device certificate rule, determining, with the localization system and based on the detected beacon, a current eyewear location relative to the fixed beacon location; retrieving content in accordance with the detected beacon; curating a virtual experience based on the retrieved content, the beacon data, and a user profile; and presenting the curated virtual experience on the display in accordance with the determined current eyewear location and as an overlay relative to the physical environment, wherein the presenting the curated virtual experience comprises one or more operations selected from the group consisting of playing an audio message through the loudspeaker, presenting text on the display, and presenting a video segment on the display.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected beacon is characterized by a received signal strength, the method further comprising: detecting a subsequent beacon characterized by a subsequent received signal strength; identifying a primary beacon based on a comparison of the received signal strengths; retrieving subsequent content associated with the identified primary beacon; and further curating the virtual experience based on the retrieved subsequent content.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining a current eyewear location further comprises: calculating the current eyewear location based on a multilateration algorithm and the received signal strengths; determining a current eyewear orientation based on frames of motion data captured by an inertial measurement unit coupled to the eyewear device; and presenting the curated virtual experience in accordance with the calculated current eyewear location and the current eyewear orientation.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting a beacon further comprises: capturing frames of video data within a field of view of the camera; decoding within the captured frames of video data a beacon activation code located within a predefined proximity of the fixed beacon location; and detecting the beacon based on the decoded beacon activation code.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon transmitter is associated with a first object, and wherein the step of detecting a beacon further comprises: detecting a subsequent beacon transmitter associated with a subsequent object; presenting a list within a sector located at a sector position on the display, the list comprising the first object and the subsequent object, in order based on relative proximity to the determined current eyewear location; receiving a selection from the displayed list; and detecting the beacon in accordance with the received selection.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the process of receiving a selection comprises one or more interactions selected from the group consisting of: (a) detecting a current fingertip location relative to a touchpad coupled to the eyewear device; presenting a movable element at a current element position on the display in accordance with the detected current fingertip location; identifying a first item on the presented list that is nearest to the current element position; detecting a tapping gesture relative to the touchpad; and executing the selection relative to the first item in accordance with the detected tapping gesture; (b) receiving human speech with a microphone coupled to the eyewear device; converting the received speech into frames of audio data; identifying, with a voice recognition module, a first command based on the frames of audio data; and executing the selection based on the identified first command; and (c) executing the selection in response to a predefined hand gesture detected within frames of video data captured by a camera coupled to the eyewear device.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving content further comprises: accessing one or more sources selected from the group consisting of: the data in the detected beacon, information stored in a content library, local content stored on the eyewear device, and internet search results.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of curating a virtual experience further comprises: maintaining the user profile comprising a primary interest, a playback setting, and one or more preferences; and populating the virtual experience in accordance with the maintained user profile and the retrieved content.
 9. A content delivery system, comprising: an eyewear device comprising a camera, a loudspeaker, a content delivery application, a localization system, a memory, a processor, and a display; programming in the memory, wherein execution of the programming by the processor configures the eyewear device to perform functions, including functions to: detect a beacon broadcast by a beacon transmitter associated with a fixed beacon location in a physical environment, the beacon comprising a unique identifier, beacon data, and a device certificate; determine whether the detected beacon satisfies a device certificate rule; in response to the detected beacon satisfying the device certificate rule, determine, with the localization system and based on the detected beacon, a current eyewear location relative to the fixed beacon location; retrieve content in accordance with the detected beacon; curate a virtual experience based on the retrieved content, the beacon data, and a user profile; and present the curated virtual experience on the display in accordance with the determined current eyewear location and as an overlay relative to the physical environment, wherein the curated virtual experience comprises an audio message played through the loudspeaker, text presented on the display, and video segment presented on the display.
 10. The content delivery system of claim 9, wherein the detected beacon is characterized by a received signal strength, further comprising functions to: detect a subsequent beacon characterized by a subsequent received signal strength; identify a primary beacon based on a comparison of the received signal strengths; retrieve subsequent content associated with the identified primary beacon; and further curate the virtual experience based on the retrieved subsequent content.
 11. The content delivery system of claim 10, wherein the function to determine a current eyewear location further comprises functions to: calculate the current eyewear location based on a multilateration algorithm and the received signal strengths; determine a current eyewear orientation based on frames of motion data captured by an inertial measurement unit coupled to the eyewear device; and present the curated virtual experience in accordance with the calculated current eyewear location and the current eyewear orientation.
 12. The content delivery system of claim 9, wherein the function to detect a beacon further comprises functions to: capture frames of video data within a field of view of the camera; decode within the captured frames of video data a beacon activation code located within a predefined proximity of the fixed beacon location; and detect the beacon based on the decoded beacon activation code.
 13. The content delivery system of claim 9, wherein the beacon transmitter is associated with a first object, and wherein the function to detect a beacon further comprises functions to: detect a subsequent beacon transmitter associated with a subsequent object; present a list within a sector located at a sector position on the display, the list comprising the first object and the subsequent object, in order based on relative proximity to the determined current eyewear location; receive a selection from the displayed list; and detect the beacon in accordance with the received selection.
 14. The content delivery system of claim 13, wherein the function to receive a selection further comprises functions to: (a) detect a current fingertip location relative to a touchpad coupled to the eyewear device; present a movable element at a current element position on the display in accordance with the detected current fingertip location; identify a first item on the presented list that is nearest to the current element position; detect a tapping gesture relative to the touchpad; and execute the selection relative to the first item in accordance with the detected tapping gesture; (b) receive human speech with a microphone coupled to the eyewear device; convert the received speech into frames of audio data; identify, with a voice recognition module, a first command based on the frames of audio data; and execute the selection based on the identified first command; and (c) execute the selection in response to a predefined hand gesture detected within frames of video data captured by a camera coupled to the eyewear device.
 15. The content delivery system of claim 9, wherein the function to retrieve content further comprises functions to: access data in the detected beacon; retrieve information stored in a content library; retrieve local content stored on the eyewear device, and execute an internet search.
 16. The content delivery system of claim 9, wherein the function to curate a virtual experience further comprises functions to: maintain the user profile comprising a primary interest, a playback setting, and one or more preferences; and populate the virtual experience in accordance with the maintained user profile and the retrieved content.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code which, when executed, is operative to cause an electronic processor to perform the steps of: detecting a beacon with an eyewear device, the eyewear device further comprising a camera, a loudspeaker, a content delivery application, a localization system, and a display, wherein the beacon is broadcast by a beacon transmitter associated with a fixed beacon location in a physical environment, the beacon comprising a unique identifier, beacon data, and a device certificate; determining whether the detected beacon satisfies a device certificate rule; in response to the detected beacon satisfying the device certificate rule, determining, with the localization system and based on the detected beacon, a current eyewear location relative to the fixed beacon location; retrieving content in accordance with the detected beacon; curating a virtual experience based on the retrieved content, the beacon data, and a user profile; and presenting the curated virtual experience on the display in accordance with the determined current eyewear location and as an overlay relative to the physical environment, wherein the presenting the curated virtual experience comprises one or more operations selected from the group consisting of playing an audio message through the loudspeaker, presenting text on the display, and presenting a video segment on the display.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code of claim 17, wherein the detected beacon is characterized by a received signal strength, and wherein the program code, when executed, is further operative to cause the electronic process to perform the steps of: detecting a subsequent beacon characterized by a subsequent received signal strength; identifying a primary beacon based on a comparison of the received signal strengths; retrieving subsequent content associated with the identified primary beacon; and further curating the virtual experience based on the retrieved subsequent content.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code of claim 18, wherein the step of determining a current eyewear location further comprises: calculating the current eyewear location based on a multilateration algorithm and the received signal strengths; determining a current eyewear orientation based on frames of motion data captured by an inertial measurement unit coupled to the eyewear device; and presenting the curated virtual experience in accordance with the calculated current eyewear location and the current eyewear orientation.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code of claim 17, wherein the step of detecting a beacon further comprises: capturing frames of video data within a field of view of the camera; decoding within the captured frames of video data a beacon activation code located within a predefined proximity of the fixed beacon location; and detecting the beacon based on the decoded beacon activation code. 